


The Proposal

by serendipitous_rambles



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Also this is set after Matthew's death, F/M, Gilbert is a gentleman and asks Marilla first, They're about 20 because in the old days people married young?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 10:26:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15661350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitous_rambles/pseuds/serendipitous_rambles
Summary: Gilbert needs to ask Marilla an important question regarding Anne.





	1. Chapter 1

Gilbert nervously walks up the old rickety steps of the Green Gables' porch. Despite being a man of 20, he's never felt more like a small, vulnerable boy.

 

It's Marilla he's come to see. Since Matthew's death a few years ago it had been tough, but Anne and Marilla had gotten by, and now without a father figure, Gilbert was left to ask Marilla what he had been thinking about for two years, if not more.

 

He raised a shaky hand to the door and knocked, taking time to quickly adjust his tie and remove his cap from his curly hair. That was his own "carrots", his curls. He'd thought maybe as he'd grown they'd straighten out, if anything they became worse.

 

Marilla's stern face appeared behind the screen door before softening as she realised who it was.

 

"Why, Gilbert. What brings you here? I'm afraid Anne is still at the school. But I'd be happy to tell her you stopped by."

 

He shook his head, "Uh, actually Marilla, I'm here to speak to you. If that's alright."

 

At first Marilla felt concerned, worried something had happened to Anne and that Gilbert was sent to deliver the bad news. He looked awfully pale and didn't have that usual charm about him. He seemed to have noticed Marilla's fear and his features softened to a smile, raising his hands.

 

"Oh no don't worry, it's nothing bad. Anne is perfect. It's..." He awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets. Normally he was so confident but anything to do with Anne seemed to send him in a flustered mess.

 

"I'll put some tea on." Marilla said and Gilbert followed her into the parlour.

 

As she poured the tea, Marilla noticed how much Gilbert had grown. No longer was he a boy, but a young, confident man.

 

"I wanted to talk to you about... about Anne." He slowly said, building up his courage.

 

"Yes?" Marilla had a feeling where this was going.

 

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling dry despite the tea. "As you know, Anne and I have a... peculiar history." He didn't know how else to phrase it without saying _"she broke a slate on my head and I've had a crush on her since but we were also academic rivals and now we're friends but also something more"._

 

He reached up, lightly touching the place on his head where Anne had hit him that fateful day with the slate. It had become a kind of habit of his, whenever he thought about that day, he couldn't help but touch where there once was a bump from her passionate outburst.

 

"I'm very aware of how things have changed." Marilla gave a knowing smile and Gilbert felt himself nervously chuckle.

 

"Yes, and you know I've always admired Anne. She's not afraid to be herself, she's passionate, intelligent. Truly remarkable." Gilbert felt vulnerable, as if revealing the inner most secrets of his heart. Things he'd held on to for years before really showing Anne how he felt. It had been between Anne and Gilbert for so long, and finally letting someone else in to that felt wrong.

 

"I know my life changed forever when she arrived at Green Gables." Marilla allowed herself a little laugh. "And Matthew's." She missed her brother dearly, but knew he had lived a full life thanks to Anne.

 

"Mine too, Ms Cuthbert." Gilbert hesitantly placed a comforting hand over hers, knowing all too well the pain grief brings.

 

"I can't promise her diamonds or jewels, I can't promise the moon." Gilbert's face became serious, almost pained. "But I can promise that there's no one out there for me but her. I can promise her that she's all I ever need, and that if she'll have me, I'll make her smile everyday and make sure she always knows how loved and special she is. That even if her hair is as bright as carrots, she's perfect just the way she is. I'll help her follow her passions, and never ask her to give up anything for me. But I want her forever, I always have. It just took me a while to realise. And I'll make up every day for it."

 

He never looked so much like John.... Marilla felt that ache in her heart that she discovered never really had gone away. If she could go back she'd do it differently, but she supposed she never would have met Anne. And there wouldn't have been a Gilbert.

 

"I want to ask Anne to marry me." He said finally, as if that hadn't already been made clear from his passionate, romantic speech.

 

Marilla wiped a tear away with her boney finger. "It's up to Anne of course, but I wish you both luck and happiness. You just better giver her that speech again."

 

Gilbert stood up and enveloped Marilla in a hug, before composing himself. In his excitement he'd forgotten all about propriety. "Thank you ever so much. I promise to be the husband Anne deserves."

 

"I know you will be."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is extremely sappy I'm sorry haha :)

With Anne and Gilbert, the process of falling in love hadn't been obvious. It had been slow, and gradual. Anne always thought when she fell in love it would be immediate, a sudden realisation hitting her in the chest that when she saw that person, she just  _ knew _ . But it hadn't.

  
  


It had crept up on her ever so quietly until one day she was looking at Gilbert and realised that feeling in her chest wasn't friendship, but it had grown to fondness, to love.

  
  


They'd never really “officially” begun courting, but everyone in town was aware that Gilbert Blythe only had eyes for Anne, and vice versa.

  
  


He'd started escorting her to events, going on walks together about the lanes, even so far as to take her rowing along the river in the spring. And over time people had come to expect Gilbert was not too far behind wherever Anne went.

  
  


Every Sunday after church, Anne and Gilbert would take a stroll. They'd travel down the ever so aptly named Lover's Lane, past the Lake of Shining Waters and through the forest, Anne reminiscing over her childhood story club.

  
  


As always, they walked side by side, until Gilbert worked up the courage to ever so smoothly brush his hand against hers until their fingers intertwined. For propriety's sake, Gilbert would never attempt to hold her hand until they'd walked a little ways away from the prying eyes of the fellow church goers aka Mrs Lynde and her disposition for gossip.

  
  


It was no secret of course that the two were smitten with each other, the shared glances and whispers whenever they were around each other. But it simply wasn't done to go around walking hand in hand about Avonlea, even if it was as Anne called “most romantic”.

  
  


It was on one of these walks that Gilbert knew he was going to ask Anne. He'd been thinking about it for a while, and had asked Marilla's permission to ask Anne herself. But now he was actually going to do it, he had lost all nerve.

  
  


“Gil, is there something wrong?” Anne looked up at him, their hands still intertwined. 

  
  


He couldn't remember when she'd first started calling him “Gil” but he loved it. Only she ever called him that, and he wished he had something else to call her other than just “Anne”. But after much consideration, he decided that he much preferred her name to anything he could come up with. Because Anne was….well Anne. She perhaps didn't like her name, but he thought it was the most beautiful name he'd ever heard.

  
  


“You're awfully quiet today.” 

  
  


He shook his head, hoping his smile was reassuring instead of nervous. “I'm perfectly alright, there's just something on my mind I guess.”

  
  


“Will you tell me?”

  
  


“That depends.” He still had that smirk from his school boy days. It drove Anne insane when he did it. 

  
  


She released her grip from his hand. “Fine, I'll just walk by myself.” She increased her pace and Gilbert chuckled to himself. Even after everything, she was still the same girl he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. 

  
  


He jogged after her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Anne, you truly are remarkable.”

  
  


“And you're being silly.” She playfully shoved him off. She stopped walking and turned to face him, folding her arms across her chest. “Gilbert, can you just tell me what's going on?”

  
  


He shuffled his weight on his feet awkwardly, and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

  
  


“We've been friends for a long time now.”

  
  


“I am aware.” She laughed.

 

“I’ve always admired you Anne, how you've never been afraid to be yourself. To tell me when I've crossed a line-”

  
  


“That carrots incident still stings a little.”

  
  


He laughed nervously as he continued, “You _ interrupt _ me.”

 

“Sorry.” She said, smiling back at him. She was getting better at controlling how much she spoke,  but Gilbert never minded. He loved to listen to her just talk and think aloud.

  
  


“You know I'm in love with you, right?” He took both her hands in his, looking into her eyes. “Very much.”

 

Anne felt her heart in her throat. That was the first time she'd ever heard those words, and they sounded so beautiful in her ears. More romantic than she'd ever hoped they could.

 

She felt her chest tighten, and eyes prick with tears. She nodded, letting out a weird, embarrassing choked sob/laugh. “I'm in love with you too.”

 

In all her 20 years, Anne never imagined herself falling in love. Let alone finding someone who loved her back. The words felt so natural and easy when looking at Gilbert. It was something she'd battled with for years, whether her feelings for Gilbert were of rivalry and bitterness, or romantic.

 

It had been a slow process, but eventually she'd learned to accept that there really were people out there who cared about her. And Gilbert really was one. 

 

She was looking at him, feeling like her heart would burst, but he was looking back at her with the same expression he's given her all these years. Only recently had she come to realise that it was love, awe, fascination. It was a look he reserved especially for her. Since day one.

 

“Anne, I can't promise you diamonds and castles, and it'll be a few years still until I'm fully qualified as a doctor…” he slowly sunk down to his knees, not caring that he'd probably have grass stains on his trousers when he stood up.

  
  


“Gil….?” Her eyes scanned across his face. Everything was happening really quickly and she didn't know if she was dreaming.

  
  


“But I promise I'll always be here for you, never stop you from following your passions and to support whatever insane scheme you come up with,” 

 

Anne laughed, but her eyes had filled with tears. Gilbert's voice was faltering a little, wavering as he tried to remain calm himself. 

 

“And I'm going to try every day to make you smile like you deserve. There's no one out there for me but you. It's always been you. My only regret is that I didn't realise it earlier. You're not only my best friend, but I've been in love with you since you cracked my head with your slate. We'll be equals in everything, although sometimes I think there's no possible way to ever match you. I promise to make you happy, if you'll have me.”

  
  
  
  


“Gilbert…” she squeezed his hands, before wiping a tear from her eye.

  
  


“Anne Shirley Cuthbert,” he rummaged in his pocket for the ring his father had given to him before he died, his mother's ring, “will you-”

 

She collapsed to her knees, wrapping her hands around his neck, kissing him. All her life, she'd told herself she'd never get married. Who would want her?

 

He smiled, pulling back after a moment. He brushed a stray hair from her face, letting his hand linger on her cheek.

  
  


“I interrupted you again…” she whispered. 

  
  


He shook his head, “That’s alright.” His voice was shaking a little.

  
  


“Do you want to say it again?” she raised an eyebrow, her hands still around his neck.

 

He nodded, allowing his forehead to fall against hers briefly before looking back into her eyes. “Anne Shirley Cuthbert, will you marry me?”

  
  
  


“Gilbert Blythe,” she smiled, the biggest smile she'd ever felt, “I will marry you.”

 


End file.
